We're busy humans and sometimes we get to interview artists in a different way.
I do love a classic Q&A you find in the magazines, like would you rather drink a Lemon & Paeroa or lemonade. I sillily forgot to ask this, but I'll ask Marlon next time.
What a voice and storyteller he is. When playing his records, it instantly transports me to a land I've longed for and I reckon that's the pull of his music too. Unmistakably Aotearoa.
So, here's a delve into that with Marlon Williams. Go on, pop that latest album on while you read this.
Your latest album, 'Te Whare Tīwekaweka', feels like a record shaped by transition — emotionally, geographically, even spiritually. When you look back on writing it, what stands out most about the headspace you were in at the time?
Kiaora Rikki Lea! Good question. One thing I really like about it is that is so geographically specific.
Grounding stories in real physical space adds another dimension to them, makes them in a sense more real. A big part of what drove the writing of this record was to assert my own place in my corner of the world.
Your songs often feel like they're listening as much as they're speaking. When you sit down to write, are you chasing language, melody, or a feeling that doesn't quite have words yet?
Interesting! Whatever your approach, you can't bully songs; you have to let them find their own way. Like kids, if you fully understand them you've probably smothered them.
Some songs feel like postcards from the road, others like private notes never meant to leave the room. How do you decide which songs are ready to be shared, and which ones stay yours a little longer?
I really like that juxtaposition of the universal with the awkwardly personal. One makes the other more interesting. I'm not sure really, I guess some songs want to become public immediately and some never see the light of day.
Touring can be both connective and isolating – constant conversation followed by long stretches of quiet. How does that rhythm affect your songwriting, and the way you show up onstage?
Writing on the road is definitely a different experience to doing it at home. There's a longing for comfort and familiarity in road songs, and ones written at home often express the opposite.
When you're performing in different cities and countries, do you notice the songs being 'heard' differently? Are there moments where a place unlocks a meaning you hadn’t fully noticed before?
Absolutely. That's why I think it can be a great idea to forge them on the road before recording them. Not always, but often. It's always humbling to learn that what felt profound or even just interesting in your head is bland as hell in the sunlight.
Looking ahead, what's calling to you creatively right now – more time on the road, new ways of writing, different languages or sounds – and what can fans expect from the next chapter?
There's a period of rest coming up for me soon, but not before a healthy bunch of shows all over the place. I'm looking forward to getting rested up and bored and making something new. I have a few ideas about what that'll be but nothing concrete yet.
Lastly, we hear you're on a film set. Can you give us the skinny on that? What's chasing you?! It might not even be a horror! I just happened to be listening to that song writing this question now.
Haha. Well, yes, I am on a film set and it is indeed a horror! But that's all I'll say for now...
Ending on an ellipses? Classic!
Marlon Williams plays On The Banks (Brisbane) with Sarah Blasko on 22 March.
Marlon Williams 2026 Tour Dates
Thu 5 Mar - Twilight At Taronga (Sydney)
Fri 6 Mar - Live At The Gardens (Melbourne)
Sat 7 Mar - Golden Plains Festival (Meredith)
Mon 9 Mar - WOMADelaide (Adelaide)
Fri 20 Mar - Fremantle Arts Centre
Sun 22 Mar - On The Banks (Brisbane)
